Emma Stone: Acting eases anxiety

Emma Stone says acting helps stop her nervous energy becoming "an obstacle".

The 26-year-old star has been open about her problems with anxiety, after suffering her first panic attack when she was eight. Although she largely has things under control now it hasn't gone away completely, which is why she's so happy to be in the industry she's in.

"I'm sure more secure now, but I still deal with anxiety. Acting is a way of overcoming it, because it allows me to make sure of my overly sensitive side and channel all that nervous energy, which would otherwise be an obstacle," she told the American edition of OK! magazine. "My work is such an important outlet - I can't imagine my life without it."

She may love her job, but it doesn't rule Emma's life. She's well aware that to be balanced she needs to have time for work and play, so the star sections off periods to be with her friends and loved ones.

"I'm not a workaholic. I enjoy my time off and make sure that I don't lose sight of my friends and family. Sometimes it's hard to go out in public as much as I'd like, with photographers following me to my favourite cafe. I still don't understand why it's so interesting to take photos of me drinking coffee!" she laughed.

In fact Emma has just been photographed on a shopping trip in Los Angeles. While the images would otherwise be uneventful they have caused a stir as she was carrying a paper bag emblazoned with Andrew Garfield's name - and the two were thought to have broken up.

She didn't comment on her love life in the interview, preferring to explain why it's important to her not to hide her anxiety from people.

"Sometimes I try to show that I'm a little cooler and more relaxed that I actually am. But I prefer being myself and not trying to hide my nervousness or vulnerable sides, rather than trying to put on a facade," she said.